Page 29 of What Doesn't Kill Us

It’s likely that, regardless of our individual secrets, one or both of us is going to end up dead at the end of this. I’ll be protecting Toni, and she’ll be protecting her daughter, and all we can do is sit back and hope at the end of it all, they will at least be safe.

It doesn’t take long before we pull into the parking lot of yet another warehouse. This one appears relatively new, especially compared to the last few we’ve been in. Regardless, I’m still entirely fucking sick of warehouses, and if I get the chance to revamp my operation, there will be no more warehouse-like structures.

Carolina weirdly parks in the corner of the parking lot, and I look at her questioningly. She gives another small shrug. “No cameras over here.”

“How would you know that?” I ask, frowning.

“I handled the security in most of their locations. They seem to not remember it most of the time, which so far is benefiting me.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “I’ll tell you what. If we make it through this shit alive, you and I are going to sit down for a long talk with an enormous bottle of whiskey.”

“Deal,” she replies with a tentative smile.

For all I know, I’ll meet my maker with a bullet to the back of my head from her own hand. But for some odd reason, I’m willing to chance it.

We both exit the vehicle, and I follow her around to the door on the far side of the building. She digs into her pocket, pulling out a small object wrapped in what looks like a bloody handkerchief. She unwraps it, revealing what appears to be a severed finger.

“What the fuck Carolina?” I say with a grimace. “You seriously went back there and cut off that fucker’s finger? And then you put it in your pocket?”

She grins at me. “Did you think you’re the only one with tricks up your sleeve? Your ego is huge—huge.”

I shake my head, muttering to myself, “It’s true. I’m fucking surrounded by crazy-ass women.”

She does a little jig with her shoulders as she presses the finger against the reader, and the light turns green. She opens the door, wrapping the finger back up with the handkerchief and placing it back in her pocket. “In case I need it later.”

I grimace again. “Just don’t let it go through the laundry.”

Her face twists in distaste. “That’s gross. Why do you have to be gross?”

I give her a smile as we make our way through the door and into a hallway. “I’m gross? You have a severed finger in your pocket. I think that takes the cake on gross.”

“You know very well that in this business, we do whatever we must—gross or not.”

I nod, falling silent as we quietly make our way into the building. She makes her way down the hallway, obviously knowing where she’s going, but to me, it feels like the long way.

She puts her hand up, stopping me as she peers around the corner, then motions for me to look around her. I step close to her, then lean over so I can get a look at the other room. Agatha is tied to a chair, but there’s no one else in my line of sight. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean there’s no one on the far side where I can’t see them.

Carolina indicates for me to wait, then she squares her shoulders and walks into the room like she owns the place. She walks right up to Agatha, who’s snarling behind the gag in her mouth, but when Carolina leans down and whispers into her ear, she settles slightly. Agatha’s eyes shoot daggers at Carolina as she straightens and asks loudly, “Where the fuck is everyone, bitch?”

Agatha narrows her eyes at her, cursing threats behind her gag, which makes Carolina laugh as she looks around the room, then glances back at me. Turning her attention back to Agatha, she says, “I guess I better go find them. The fucking incompetence of these idiots.”

She heads off in the opposite direction, and I slowly make my way into the room. I glance around the room as I ease nearer to Agatha, and once I verify that there is indeed no one there, I hurry to her side. I quickly remove the gag from her mouth, then move behind her and work on releasing her hands. We work together to untie her ankles from the chair, and she stands up slowly, stretching her muscles as she moves toward the hallway where I came from. I reach out, grabbing her elbow, and she turns to me. “What? We need to get the fuck out of here, Dare.”

“We can’t leave Carolina here.”

Agatha scoffs, glaring at me. “Fuck her. If I see her again, I’ll kill her.”

I shake my head. “She’s doing whatever she has to do, Agatha. It’s not personal.”

She yanks her arm from my grip and snarls, “Don’t tell me it’s not fucking personal. Because of her, I got my ass kicked. Because of her, I got to hang out tied to a chair for hours. Because of her, everyone’s locations are compromised.”

“That may be true, but also, because of her, I’m here getting you out of here. She didn’t have to bring me here.”

She gives me a murderous look. “For all you know, she brought you here because that was part of her orders. To get you to come here willingly so we can then end up with our throats spliced open.”

“They have her daughter, Agatha. She’s only protecting her, kind of like how we’re protecting Toni.”

“I don’t fucking care. And you shouldn’t care either.”

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